Multi-barreled projector and block ammunition



Sept. 28, 1965 R. s. ROBINSON 3,208,350

MULTI-BARRELED PROJECTOR AND BLOCK AMMUNITION Filed July 30, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 'commun-nun' aalnnoasrnaln.

IN VEN TOR. RUSSE/.L 5. Ro/Nso/v BY; ,12A/EY ATTO Sept. 28, 1965 R. s. ROBINSON MULTI-BARRELED PROJECTOR AND BLOCK AMMUNITION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30, 1962 l il," Z .Irl

IN VEN TOR. RUSSELL 5, Ro/N50# BY] Aroe/EY United States Patent O 3,208,350 MULTI-BARRELED PROJECTOR AND BLOCK AMMUNITION Russell S. Robinson, 124 Via Yella, Newport Beach, Calif.

Filed July 30, 1962, Ser. No. 213,180 3 Claims. (Cl. 89-34) This invention relates to a multi-barreled weapon and to an ammunition magazine adapted to be utilized in conjunction therewith.

In order to facilitate the consideration of the construction and mode of operation of the invention, it will be described as embodied in a specific type of weapon adapted to be utilized in conjunction with an ammunition magazine designed specifically therefor. However, it will be obvious to ythose skilled in the art that certain modifications of the invention may be made without departing from the scope and spirit thereof.

There is need at the present time for a multi-barreled weapon which is characterized by the fact that it may shoot a large number of stabilized projectiles in a predetermined dispersion pattern with a minimum dwell period between the successive firings. There is also an urgent need for means of efciently and automatically loading such a weapon in order that repeated bursts thereof may be achieved in combat.

It is, therefore, a object of my invention to provide a multi-barreled Weapon which is characterized by the incorporation of a plurality of substantially parallel barrel bores and which is embodied in a single, unitary block of metal, said weapon being adapted to be utilized in conjunction with an ammunition magazine adapted to locate a number of rounds equivalent to the number of barrel bores in juxtaposition to the breech ends of the said bores in order that the ammunication may be simultaneously and automatically loaded into rthe barrel bores.

While .specific mention will be made of the automatic loading of the weapon by the use of the magazine mentioned hereinabove, it will be -obvious to those skilled in the art that manual means may be utilized to ram the rounds of ammunition into operative relationship with the breech ends of the barrel bores.

Another object of my invention is the provision, in a weapon of the aforementioned character, of a breech block associated with the breech ends of the barrel bores, said breech block having locking means thereupon adapted to engage corresponding lock means on the body of the Weapon and said breech block incorporating a plurality of electrical contacts which are adapted to be connected to any one of a number of different types of firing devices.

For purposes of clarification in disclosing the invention, the firing device thereof is constituted by an electromechanical intervalometer which, when its operation is initiated, is adapted to successively ignite the rounds of ammunition located in the breech portions of the barrel bores in a predetermined sequence. The control of the intervalometer may, according t-o my invention, provide for variable speed and interrupted operation of said intervalometer. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various types of firing devices may be utilized in conjunction with the weapon of the invention and it is not intended that the principles or teachings thereof be limited to any specific type of firing and ignition means.

Another object of my invention is the provision, in a weapon of the aforementioned character of resilient mounts associated with the support of said weapon of such construction with respect to the pre-arranged order and sequence of firing that an evenly spaced sectional pattern of the projectiles may be fired through a desired dispersion cone. The resilient mounts may be further 3,208,350 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 characterized within the scope of the invention by permitting variation of the dispersion pattern by restriction in rate of lire. The desired dispersion pattern may further be provided in weapons according to the invention by forming the operative barrel bores in the unitary block of metal with prearranged departure from 4true parallelism.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a weapon of the aforementioned character which is adapted to be utilized in conjunction with an ammunition magazine adapted to permit the simultaneous loading of a number of rounds equivalent to the number of barrel bores in the weapon. The ammunition magazine of the invention includes a rear support disposed in spaced relationship with a forward support, said rear support having receptacle or obturator means upon the forward surface thereof adapted to receive the corresponding rear extremities of the rounds of ammunition and the forward support having a plurality of openings therein adapte'd to permit the forward extremities of the rounds of ammunition to project therethrough.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a magazine of the aforementioned character wherein the rear support incorporates a plurality of electrical primers associated with primer pockets and flash holes which extend through the rear support into the aforesaid obturators in order that the rounds of ammunition mounted in said obturators may be successively ignited in a predetermined sequence.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a magazine of the aforementioned character which utilizes front and rear support plates as the aforementioned front and rear supports and wherein the rounds of ammunition have their rear extremities positively secured into cupped sockets or obturators which are adapted to act as breech sealers when the rounds of ammunition are rammed home in a manner to be described in greater detail below.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an ammunition magazine of the aforementioned character which includes a shipping and carrying container in which the rounds and the associated front and rear support plates are located, said support plates being maintained in operative relationship with said carrying and shipping container by latch means on said container engageable with corresponding portions of at least one of said plates.

A further object of the invention is the provision of cooperative unlatching means on the breech block of the aforementioned weapon or ou a member of the magazine guiding means adapted to automatically disengage the latchng means on the shipping container of the magazine in order that the rounds of ammunition mounted therein may be simultaneously rammed into the breech portions of the parallel barrel bores.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and the accompanying drawings, which are for the purpose of illustration only and in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a multi-barreled weapon constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, front elevational View of the forward extremity of the body of the weapon;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the components of the ammunition magazine constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view illustrating the latch of the magazine; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a typical type of intervalometer which can be utilized to successively ignite the rounds of ammunition loaded in the breech portions of the parallel barrel bores of the weapon.

Referring to the drawings and, particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, I show a multi-barreled weapon 10 constructed ICC e) in accordance with the teachings of my invention and consisting of an elongated, substantially rectangular body 12 formed from a single block -of metal into which have been drilled or otherwise formed a plurality of symmetrically arranged elongated barrel bores 14 which extend from one extremity to the other of said body. According to this example bores 14 are rifled in well known manners to impart spin stabilization to projectiles, red therefrom.

Provided upon the forward extremity of the body 12 are muzzle shock wave disrupting and damping means 18 constituted by a plurality of slots 22 which are machined or otherwise formed in said forward extremity. The slots 22 adjoin the discharge extremities of the barrel bores 14 and serve to break up and disperse the shock waves which accompany emergence of each successive projectile and its propulsion gases during the firing of a very rapid sequence of rounds from the weapon. In this manner, excessive disturbance to each successive projectile emerging from the forward extremity of the weapon due to the muzzle blast of the immediately preceding projectile is eliminated, thus forestalling the undesirable effects which such shock waves and gas blasts would have upon the accuracy of the projectiles, at exceedingly high rates of fire of the Weapon.

Hingedly connected to the rearward extremity of the body 12 by means of a hinge pin 26 is a breech block 30, said breech block having locking means 34 pivotally mounted thereupon by means of a pivot pin 36. The locking means 34 is adapted to engage upon a plurality of corresponding lock bosses 42 provided upon the upper surface of the body 12 of the weapon 10 to maintain the breech block in operative relationship with the breech extremities of the parallel barrel bores 14.

Provided on the sides of the body 12 of the weapon 10 is a plurality of trunnions 46 which are provided with resilient annuli 47 adapted to engage corresponding receptacles on a mount or other device, not shown, upon which the weapon 10 is supported. The resilient annuli serve as means for permitting limited movement of the body 12 of the weapon 10 with respect to the mounts therefor in order that an evenly spaced pattern of projectiles may be fired through a desired dispersion cone. It will be noted that the breech block 30 incorporates a plurality of angular protrusions 48 which constitute unlatching means for a purpose which will be described in greater detail below.

Operatively associated with the weapon 10 and constituting an operative component of the same is an arnmunition magazine 50, said ammunition magazine including a carrying case or automatic handling protective container 52 which includes hingedly connected top and side walls 54 and 56, respectively. A bottom wall 58 is hingedly connected to the lower extremities of the side walls 56, for a purpose which will be described in greater detail below. A flexible carrying handle 59 formed from webbing or similar material has its opposite extremities secured to the top and the bottom walls 54 and 58, respectively.

The container 52 is adapted to receive an assemblage 60 consisting of forward and rear supports 64 and 62, respectively. The rear support 62 is constituted by a rear mounting plate 66 which has forwardly bent flanges 68 on its opposite extremities adapted to facilitate relative sliding movement between the container 52 and the assemblage 60 and to stiften said plate during its extraction and ejection from the weapon 10 after firing.

Provided on the forward surface of the rear support 62 is a plurality of obturators 72 which are adapted to receive the rearward extremities of associated rounds 76 of ammunition and which yare also adapted to serve as breech sealing means, in a manner to be described in greater detail below.

Each of the rounds 76 of ammunition includes a substantially cylindrical rod or tube of solid propellant 82 which is securely bonded or otherwise fastened in the associated obturator 72 on the rear support 62 and a projectile 86 on the forward extremity of the solid propellant. Of course, it is not intended to limit the utilization or teachings of the invention to any particular type of propellant or ammunition.

The forward support 64 is constituted by a plate 94 having a plurality of openings 96 therein adapted to support the forward extremities of the cylindrical portions of the rounds '76 of ammunition in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. Openings 96 are slightly oversize with respect to rounds 76 of ammunition so that the plate 94 is slidable therewith, said plate being restrained from inoperably sliding with respect to said mounts by a plurality of weak connections. Such weak connections according to the present example are embodied in bond tacks which interconnect the four outer corner rounds 76 of assemblage 60 with the corresponding openings 96 of the plate 94. The opposite extremities of the plate 94 are provided with forwardly bent flanges 98 which stiften said plate and facilitate relative sliding movement between the forward plate 94 and the container 52.

Mounted in corresponding openings, not shown, extending through the rear support plate 62 are electrical primers, indicated schematically at 102 in FIG. 3 of the drawings, said electrical primers being associated with corresponding primer pockets, not shown, located at the bases of the obturators 72 in order that the rounds 76 of ammunition located in the obturator 72 may be ignited after the rounds 76 of ammunition have been rammed into the breech portions of the elongated barrel bores 14.

It will be noted that the top and bottom walls 54 and 58 of the container 52 are provided with right-angularly bent anges 106 at the rear edges thereof cooperative with the assemblage 60 inserted in the container 52. Secured to the bottom wall 58 is a latch 110, said latch consisting of a spring biased latch member 112 which is pivotally movable upwardly through a corresponding opening 114 in the bottom wall 58 and which is mounted on a pivot pin 116. A torsion spring 118 urges the latch member 112 into operative engagement with the rear support 62 of the assemblage 60 to maintain the assemblage 60 in operative relationship with the container 52.

Operatively connected to the electrical primers 102 mounted in the corresponding openings in the rear support 62 is an intervalometer 120 indicated schematically at FIG. 5 of the drawings. It will be noted that the breech block 30 incorporates a plurality of resilient electrical contacts 122 of well known construction which are adapted to be registered with the corresponding electrical primers 102 in the rear support 162 and which are connected to the intervalometer by means of a plurality of leads 126. An electrical intervalometer is shown for purposes of convenience, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other types of automatic sequential ring devices may be utilized with equal cogency in conjunction with the weapon 10.

The electrical intervalometer 120 includes a plurality of symmetrically arranged contacts 128 which are adapted to be successively engaged by a motor driven switch arm 129 rotatable by an .associated electric motor 130. The motor 130 may be powered from a source of potential such `as a battery 132, the circuit being made by the closing of an associated switch 134.

The weapon 1t) may be loaded by automatically conveying a magazine 50, consisting of the container 52 and assemblage 60 into overlying relationship with the breech block 30 by an appropriate mechanism, not shown, to locate the forward extremities of the rounds 76 of ammunition in juxtaposition to the breeches of the parallel barrel bores 14. When the container 52 is installed upon the breech block 30, the latch member 112 will be engaged by the corresponding unlatching protrusion 48 on the upper surface of said breech block to automatically release the latch member 112 from operative engagement with the assemblage 60 and to permit the assemblage 60 to be moved forward by appropriate ram means, not shown, to ram the rounds 76 simultaneously into the corresponding breech portions of the corresponding aligned parallel bores 14. It will be understood, of course, that within the spirit of the invention the assemblage 60 may be automatically unlatched from the container 52 by a protrusion 48 which is embodied in a member, not shown, of the feed and guiding means for successive magazines.

As the ram, not shown, engages the rear support 62, #the assemblage 60 and rounds 76 of ammunition mounted thereupon are urged forwardly. During the initial ini crement of such forward movement, the forward support 64 is halted against the rearward extremity or breech faces of the body 12, the tack bonds, not shown, are ruptured and rounds 76 slide forwardly through the openings 96 of forward support 64 until fully rammed, at which time the rear support 62 is in contact with the forward support 64 and obturators 72 are disposed in breech sealing relationship with the breech portions of the parallel barrel bores 14. The container 50 can then be automatically discharged and the breech block 30 moved upwardly into engagement with the rear support 62 whereby electrical contact may be made with the various electrical primers 102 of the rear support 62. After the weapon has been automatically loaded in the above described manner, it is ready for firing which merely entails the closing of the switch 134 of the intervalometer 120 to energize the electrical motor 130 and cause the rotary switch arm 129 to successively engage the associated contacts. It will be understood that in accordance with the invention, the controls of the said motor and said intervalometer may be such as will enable variation in rate of fire of rounds 76, and the firing of a limited number of said rounds in each burst or the tiring of all such rounds in each assemblage 60 in a single burst.

After completion of a tiring cycle, the breech block 30 can be opened and the rear and forward supports 62 and 64, respectively, retracted from operative relationship with the rear extremity of the weapon 10. The weapon is then in condition to receive another magazine 50 and to initiate the automatic reloading cycle.

While I have described a particular embodiment of the weapon and magazine of the invention, it will, of course, be obvious to those skilled in the art that the principles and teachings of the invention may be applied with equal cogency to other embodiments of the weapon and magazine without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In an ammunition magazine adapted to be utilized in conjunction with a multi-barreled weapon, the combination of: a rear support having a plurality of receptacles thereupon adapted to receive the rear extremities of rounds of ammunition in sealing relationship; and a forward support having a plurality of apertures therein for the reception of the forward extremities of said rounds of ammunition, said rear support being movable relative to said forward support to permit said rounds to be driven through said apertures into said barrels.

2. In an ammunition magazine adapted to be utilized in conjunction with a multi-barreled weapon, the combination of: a rear support having a plurality of receptacles thereupon adapted to receive the rear extremities of rounds of ammunition in sealing relationship; and a forward support having a plurality of apertures therein for the reception of the forward extremities of said rounds of ammunition, said rear support being movable relative to said forward support to permit said rounds to be driven through said apertures into said barrels, said apertures having a diameter equal to the external diameter of said receptacles to permit said receptacles to be driven through said apertures into breech sealing relationship with said barrels.

3. In an ammunition magazine adapted to be utilized in conjunction with a multi-barreled weapon, the combination of: a rear support having a plurality of receptacles thereupon adapted to receive the rear extremities of rounds of ammunition in sealing relationship; a forward support having a plurality of apertures therein for the reception of the forward extremities of said rounds of ammunition, said rear support being movable relative to said forward support to permit said rounds to be driven through said apertures into said barrels; and a collapsible container adapted to receive said forward and rear supports.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 394,373 12/88 Kelton 42-89 396,523 1/89 Accles 89--34 634,826 10/99 Masini 89-1 1,190,356 7/16 Yost 89-37 1,363,608 12/20 Luciani 89-1 1,660,590 2/28 Baldwin 89--1 2,231,879 2/41 Brightman 89-1 2,258,161 10/41 Nardone. 2,351,257 6/44 Formhals 89-l 2,421,893 6/47 Lambert et al 89-l.5 X 2,776,599 1/57 Starry 89-34 2,896,353 7/59 Hunt 42-89 2,900,875 8/59 Fergus et al. 89-14 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL W. ENGLE, SAMUEL BOYD, Examiners. 

1. IN AN AMMUNITION MAGAZINE ADAPTED TO BE UTILIZED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A MULTI-BARRELED WEAPON, THE COMBINATION OF: A REAR SUPPORT HAVING A PLURALITY OF RECEPTACLES THEREUPON ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE REAR EXTREMITIES OF ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION IN SEALING RELATIONSHIP; AND A FORWARD SUPPORT HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES THEREIN FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE FORWARD EXTREMITIES OF SAID ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION, SAID REAR SUPPORT BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID FORWARD SUPPORT TO PERMIT SAID ROUNDS TO BE DRIVEN THROUGH SAID APERTURES INTO SAID BARRELS. 